Migration: A Mandate of Divine Communities

With the historic shift to Islamabad of His Holiness, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad (aba), Worldwide Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Fifth Successor to the Promised Messiah (as), The Review of Religions is excited to bring to you, from the annuls of history, the legendary Migration that started it all - in the words of Hazrat Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmood Ahmad (ra) the second successor of the Promised Messiah (as) himself.

The
Ahmadiyya Muslim Community witnesses divine promises fulfilled even today. One
of the most compelling proofs of this is the phenomenon of migration in the
face of overwhelming persecution from those who not only seek to kill prophets,
but to eliminate their entire community and everything that they stand for.

History
bears witness to this. From the unrelenting cruelties of Egyptian Pharaonic
dynasties upon the people of Mosesas and the brutal barbarities
meted out to Jesusas of Nazareth by Caesar, to the malicious mauling
and mutilation by the Holy Prophet Muhammad’ssa own kith and kin
against him and his followers, the sands of time tell a tale of turmoil endured
with astonishing grace by the followers of prophets in every era.

That
is, until the heavens cast open for them a way out. This is the phenomenon of
migration, an affair which sometimes appears to the onlookers as defeat, but in
reality is a grand victory. It is the genius of God’s elect that in their
humility, despite being the chosen ones of God, they choose to avoid conflict
to the extent that they leave everything they hold dear – their homes, their
towns, their people, their heritage, and migrate in the way of Allah.

God
Almighty states,

‘And whoso emigrates from his country in the
way of Allah will find in the earth an abundant place of refuge and
plentifulness.’[1]

And
so, the Holy Qur’an has forever enshrined this golden secret for future
generations to know that migrations are in fact victories, where the pain and
agony of the emigrant is like the one endured by a farmer who tills the
heaviest of soils. Yet, the harvests of coming seasons are unprecedented.

Hazrat
Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmood Ahmadra, the second Khalifah (Caliph) of
the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, while addressing thousands one Eid morning,
made this very point. He explained,

‘Ever
since the prophets of God began to appear in the world, it has been the way of
God that the trees planted by divine hands always progress and advance in the
midst of torrential floods and storms…Hence, those torrential storms and floods
which apparently seem to fall upon the work of God are in reality only falling
upon the people, not the work and intention of God. This is only a trick of the
eyes. Just like you must have observed while travelling on a train that even
though it is the train that’s moving, it appears as though the trees passing by
are moving. Similarly, when cyclones and deluges of trials fall upon divine
communities, the followers think that these storms are descending upon the divine
institutions, whereas the truth is that they are not falling upon the divine
scheme of things, but upon individuals – those individuals who have believed in
this divine scheme…’[2]

While
the desperate conditions which compel divine communities to migrate sometimes
look like defeat, it is in fact a vital turning point in the era of the prophet
and his followers.

A Prophecy of Migration to the
Promised Messiahas

And
so it was to happen with the community of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the
Promised Messiahas and founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.
While the persecution that he faced from Muslim, Hindu, and Christian factions
during his lifetime was unrelenting – from death-threats to attempts on his and
his followers’ lives – it was at least not supported by the government. Yet he
announced that God has informed him that this persecution would reach such an
extent that migration would become a mandate. To this effect, he wrote in 1885:

‘I once
saw in a dream that an individual was writing my name. He wrote it half in
Arabic and half in English. The phenomenon of migration is attached to prophets.
However, whereas certain visions find fulfilment in the time of the prophet,
others are fulfilled through his progeny or a follower of his. For example, the
royal keys to the thrones of Caesar and Khosrow were given to the Holy Prophetsa.
Yet, the physical territories of the two were conquered in the time of Umarra.’[3]

The
Promised Messiahas also received other revelations elaborating the
details of this prophecy, recorded in his magnum opus, Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya and also in his Arabic work, ‘Dafi’ul Balaa’. He writes, ‘The
Christian people shall plot to inflict damage [upon you]. In response, God too
shall plan and those days will be days of tests and trials*;
and say, ‘O My Lord! Do Thou Grant me safe haven in a pure land. This [shall
be] a spiritual variety of migration.’[4]

After
his demise in May of 1908, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas was succeeded
by his sincerest follower and adherent, Hazrat Maulvi Nooruddinra,
the first Khalifah of the Ahmadiyya Community. After his demise in 1914, Hazrat
Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmood Ahmadra, the son of the Promised Messiahas,
became the second Khalifah, during whose blessed time the first migration of
the community was to occur.

The Reality of ‘Hijrat’ & a
Sinister Plot

Explaining
what constitutes a migration, he explained, ‘After studying the revelations
vouchsafed to the Promised Messiahas, it dawned upon me that there
is a hijrat (migration) destined for us, and (that) the word hijrat
is in fact intrinsically connected with the leader. Otherwise, people move from
one place to another all the time, but no one calls that a hijrat. A hijrat
is intrinsically connected with the leader.’[5]

By
the 1940s, the situation in India had deteriorated so much that even the Indian
government assumed a passive stance against terrorist groups trying to ‘purify’
the Indian population of Muslims, killing and massacring them in huge numbers.
Having rejected the pristine and true Islam of the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa,
which was revived by the Promised Messiahas, the general Muslim
populace not only increased in its aggression, but in many cases joined forces
against the Ahmadis.

As
though the state-facilitated eradication of Ahmadis in India by Hindu and Sikh
militias was not enough, the situation was about to get even worse. Describing
this, Hazrat Musleh Ma’udra explains, ‘One can glean the
antagonistic intentions of these people from [the following]. An English
Colonel appointed in Batala came and told me, “I know what these people are
planning. You cannot imagine the havoc that these people are about to wreak
against the Muslims after August 31st.” While saying all this, the
man was overwhelmed with tears, but forcefully composed himself, turning his
face away.’[6]

So
horrific were the plans to eradicate Muslims and Ahmadis in particular that
even the hearts of those unbiased ones who had nothing to fear or lose bled in
agony after them.

Describing
the situation as he attempted to arrange transportation out of Qadian, Hazrat
Khalifatul Masih IIra explains, ‘I was given to understand that it
was God Almighty’s design and will that I leave Qadian. When I understood from
the revelations of the Promised Messiahas that our migration is
certain, and it was decided that I should now leave Qadian, a phone call was
made to Lahore to arrange some means of transport. However, for 8-10 days, we
received no response at all. When it did finally come, it was only that the government
had outright refused to provide any means of conveyance, so no car could be
given to us. At that time, I was studying the revelations of the Promised
Messiahas. While reading them, I came across a particular
revelation, “Ba’d Gyaarah” meaning
“after eleven,” or “after the eleventh.” I took this to mean the 11th
day on the calendar, and that in relation to the transportation, it meant that
something would be arranged after the 11th of the lunar calendar. We
waited and waited until the 28th of the Gregorian calendar arrived,
and no arrangements had been made for transport from Qadian.’

As the
situation escalated unfavourably for Ahmadis, the humble community’s faith in
any state support waned to a flicker. Soon it became life-threatening for all
Ahmadis in general and their beloved Khalifah in particular. Hazrat Musleh
Ma’udra explains,

‘On the
28th, the government issued an announcement that after 31st August,
the local government of each area would be responsible for its own security.
This meant that the Indian Union had taken full control of Qadian. I resolved
then and there that if I was to leave, I must try to do something immediately,
otherwise leaving Qadian would become impossible.’[7]

A Final Attempt to Leave Qadian

After
some research and having exhausted all their resources, it was decided that at
least three Jeeps were required to form the caravan which would transport the
Khalifah. Additionally, several back-up plans were put into place in case any
person failed. As the night of departure drew near, however, each and every
person who had promised to provide vehicles began to send messages that they would
not be able to follow through with their promise – so perilous was the
situation in Qadian.

‘All the
while,’ Hazrat Musleh Ma’udra explains, ‘my mind was fixed on what
the revelation “After the Eleventh” meant.’

Finally,
the very last person who was due to arrive by eight or nine in the evening also
failed to show up. Hazrat Musleh Ma’udra waited as the hour passed
and the clock struck 10 p.m.

‘At that
point,’ he explained, ‘it occurred to me that perhaps the words “after eleven”
meant after eleven o’clock, and that some arrangement would materialise after
11 p.m. I continuously received messages from Mian Bashir Ahmad, M.A, under
whose management the transport was, that each and every one of the measures and
arrangements that had been made had either cancelled or failed to show up. I
called him and told him that “I have understood the revelation after eleven to mean that something will
be arranged after 11 p.m.”’[8]

‘After
this, my other boy, Nasir Ahmad, who was overseeing the external arrangements
also called. “All our efforts, all our arrangements, have failed,”’ he
revealed.

He
continued, ‘A Buddhist military officer had vowed that “even if I am punished,
I will definitely find some sort of arrangement, and will even bring my own
guards if I have to,” but at the last second, he was also reassigned
elsewhere.’

Finally,
the clock struck eleven. Both Hafiz Mirza Nasir Ahmad, supervisor of external
transportation, and Mirza Bashir Ahmad, who was overall in charge of
transporting Khalifatul Masih safely outside of Qadian, had made it clear that
all their attempts to secure a way out of Qadian had been unsuccessful.

‘After
arriving [at Lahore], I began to fully realise that I was not simply faced with
uprooting a single tree and replanting it elsewhere. Rather, I must dig up an
entire garden and replant it afresh, and so, it is imperative for us that a new
headquarters be established immediately, and with it, new central offices as
well.’[10]

His final
words before the first migration of Jama’at Ahmadiyya will never fail to melt
the hearts of Ahmadis of every generation. Before departing, the beloved Imam
of the Ahmadiyya Community, Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmood Ahmadra,
faced Qadian one last time. With a heavy heart, he announced,

‘The
trauma of losing Qadian (as headquarters) is certainly heavy on every heart
today. It is a great shock for me as well. However, leaving Qadian, I have
vowed that I shall not grieve over this…this is not a time for crying, but a
time for work. Hence, I have strictly fulfilled this oath. Sometimes it feels as though my heart will break into pieces. However,
if I have made this resolve, then why should I dilute this determination with
tears?

We shall hold back our tears until
the day that we take back Qadian as our headquarters once again.’[11]

* The days in which the community
was compelled to leave India were dangerous for Muslims in general, but
particularly perilous for Ahmadi Muslims, especially the head of the community
at the time, Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmoodra, the second Khalifah of the
Ahmadiyya Community.